I’m sure most of you - if not all
of you - have watched or even heard of the show “Come Dine with me”. It is known for its eccentric characters and dramatic voice over, but there are also fun food ideas and good laughs that come from this show.
My family and I decided to have
our own “Come Dine with me” weekend during our holiday in Cape St Francis and
it was such fun! We divided ourselves into 3 pairs and decided to choose 2 courses per night.
My partner and I paired
up and planned an evening with a “homely” theme. I mean, what’s better than a
Sunday Roast and Warm Chocolate Cake?
My dad and mom paired up for a
“fine-dining” experience with Bacon-Wrapped mushrooms and my dad’s
signature Potjie dish.
My 11 year old sister, Jenna and 20 year old brother,
Christopher, teamed up for a night of fiesta in “Mexico”.
We were certain the Mexican fiesta was going to be a disaster considering my sister is 11 and my brother, well- he has never had to cook a day in his life. But we were pleasantly surprised. VERY surprised actually.
We were certain the Mexican fiesta was going to be a disaster considering my sister is 11 and my brother, well- he has never had to cook a day in his life. But we were pleasantly surprised. VERY surprised actually.
The games began with a revealing
of menu’s on day 1.
Night #1
The 4 guests of the night walked
around the outside of the house and to the front door. We rang the doorbell and
“introduced” ourselves to the hosts- who greeted us with champagne, wine, beer
and smiles plastered on their faces.
My mom had lit candles and decorated the
table beautifully and we all chatted around the table while the starters warmed
up in the oven. We were served Bacon Wrapped Mushrooms stuffed with Sundried Tomato Pesto and Cheese. One of the most phenomenal starters I have ever had.
My brother, sister and boyfriend, all “anti-mushroomists” (no this word does
not exist) ate their mushrooms without even a moments hesitation. This is the beauty
of bacon: wrap anything in this heavenly strip of saltiness and you will have
everyone on board.
We then waited and drank and waited and chatted and waited some more,
until our main was (finally) served. I’m sure you’ve picked up that timing wasn’t their strong point- so they were
slightly penalised ;)
We were then finally served Lamb Potjie and Homemade Rosemary and Olive Bread. It was delicious and they got 10/10 for presentation. They had
baked the bread in muffin tins so that we each received our own savoury muffin with our dinner. It was a brilliant idea but unfortunately the
olive flavour was a bit over powering and was not a hit with us guests.
Night #2
Our theme was "Touch of Home". I think the preparation that went into hosting the night and planning
the meal blew my boyfriend away! We spent the whole day either in the kitchen
or at the shops. The entire day - no exaggeration! It was loads of fun though.
I absolutely loved experimenting in the kitchen and we had such a good time
cooking and baking.
We decided on a main course and a dessert. Our main
course was Grilled Balsamic-Garlic Pork (recipe compliments of Pinterest – another
“hobby” of mine) and our dessert was Warm Chocolate Cake covered in cream. We
also cut up some crudités and placed chips in a bowl which was served as welcome
snacks with our very own homemade hummus. Delicious!
The night was a great success and such fun! We began by serving the welcome
snacks with drinks, followed by our main course of Pork, Creamy Potato Bake and Fresh Salad. The food went down well and everyone complimented us! We then
played our traditional family card game "Kings & Idiots" before
we tucked into the most delectable Chocolate Cake anyone has ever eaten (if I
say so myself). My dad is the biggest fan of Chocolate Cake and I knew this recipe
would steal his heart! The cake was warm, moist and according to dad: "hands
down the best cake ever!”
Night #3
The final night of our "Come Dine With Me” experience - a night in "Mexico". We were all sure
that the night would end in takeaways, but Chris & Jenna proved us wrong.
They set up a dining area in the lounge, on
the floor and placed cacti on the table along with Mexican beer - Corona.
We
each had Mexican name tags on our place mats that had been carefully thought
out, as well as stick-on moustaches. This evening was light-hearted, fun and full
of surprises. My brother served us nachos off a sombrero and they were delicious!
They had underestimated the quantity of food and had catered for an army! We ate nachos for 3 days
afterwards. They then served us the “mystery moustaches” which were so cute!
They had made brownies with kit-kat fingers in the middle and cut them out
in the shape of moustaches! They were heavenly and needless to say- we over
indulged in chocolate!
The entire weekend was such a blast and a great idea! It gave my mom time to relax, with a few days out the kitchen and it allowed us to all have some fun and experiment. It also created family bonding time! I recommend it to anyone going on a holiday with a crowd, but remember, even with family, competition is fierce.
The final scores were close but James and I stole the
glory and won overall!
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